


After Party

by Fearharte



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drug Use, Drugs, M/M, canon compliant mostly, dub-con kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-10-20 06:20:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20670719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearharte/pseuds/Fearharte
Summary: The last person Seifer expected to see at the SeeD failures after-party in the dingy downtown Balamb apartment was Squall Leonhart. Even more surprising was that the stoic, straight-edged man stumbled drunkenly into the living room where Seifer was sitting on the couch bitterly nursing a beer over his final exam.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything here. I am but a humble servant to daydreams.
> 
> Don't do drugs.

The last person Seifer expected to see at the SeeD failures after-party in the dingy downtown Balamb apartment was Squall Leonhart. Even more surprising was that the stoic, straight-edged man stumbled drunkenly into the living room where Seifer was sitting on the couch bitterly nursing a beer over failing his final exam. Squall tripped over nothing and grabbed the corner of the wall, one hand holding his head like he couldn't get the room to stop spinning. 

“What the fuck?” Seifer narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out the scene as he heard snickers erupt from the hallway behind Squall and then spread around the apartment as everyone watched the well-known loner tip into a bookshelf full of porn magazines, luckily not knocking it over, and chuckle weakly to himself before grimacing like he was hurting. A flurry of whispers spun around the room faster than Squall could even right himself again. When he lifted his head, he locked eyes on Seifer and the pained flicker of relief in his gaze sent a strange chill in Seifer's blood. The brunet made his way over, gripping pieces of furniture until he stumbled forward and landed in a half straddle on Seifer's lap.

“What the fuck, Squall?” Seifer snapped as the other man grabbed his coat collar with both hands to balance himself.

“Oh my god, is that that creep who won't talk to people? How trashed is he?”

“What's he even doing here?”

“I heard someone told him to come as some sort of SeeD requirement.”

“But why?”

“Just to fuck with him, he’s such an asshole.”

“Hey, did you hear? Garith totally spiked that dude's drink. Said the prick needed to learn to loosen up.”

“S-Seifer,” Squall said, his voice shaky, and when Seifer's free hand automatically came up to rest against his side and keep him from falling over, Squall dropped his weight on Seifer's lap in relief, resting his forehead on his shoulder. “Something's wrong…with me…”

“No shit,” Seifer growled low, a strange fury building in his chest. He inhaled a soft, sharp breath when Squall nuzzled into his neck. “What the fuck did you let them do to you?”

“Dunno…” Squall slurred, loosening his hold on Seifer's coat to smooth his hands up his chest to his shoulders. 

“Oi, what do you think you're doing, Leonhart?” Seifer asked roughly. He heard snickers go around the room and glanced over Squall's shoulder just in time to see Garith coming out of the hallway with a couple buddies, laughing and pointing at Squall. The mirth died in Garith's eyes, however, the moment he spotted Seifer was the one under Squall, angry fire burning in his gaze. 

“Oh shit, who invited Almasy?!” One of Garith's friends whispered in sudden panic. 

“Seifer,” Squall breathed, his voice husky and affectionate right below Seifer's jaw, his tone pleading. “I don't feel okay…”

“What the fuck did you give him?” Seifer snarled across the room to Garith, setting his beer down on a side table. Squall moaned when Seifer's hands gripped his hips and he tried to shift him off his lap. Another round of disbelieving giggles erupted through the party and Garith held his hands up in defense despite the fact Seifer wasn't even on his feet yet.

“It was just a pleasure pill! It won't hurt him! He's just high!” 

“I'm going to fucking kill you, Rivers,” Seifer promised through his teeth, trying to ignore Squall unexpectedly pressing a kiss to his jaw. “You better fucking flee the country because once he's alright, I'm going to shove my gunblade so far up your ass, you'll be tasting steel in the final moments of your short life.”

“Fuck,” Squall shuddered in pleasure at the sound of restrained rage in Seifer's voice. He suddenly shifted up to weave his fingers in Seifer’s hair and catch his lips in a deep, sensual kiss, diving his tongue into his mouth and earning a surprised noise from him. A series of hoots, hollers, and slurs exploded around the room and Seifer shoved Squall back harshly only to freeze at the fevered look of lust in those blue eyes.

“Fucking hell…” Seifer exhaled and tightened his hold on Squall's hips. “Alright Leonhart, I'm gonna help you this one time, okay? Just follow my orders, think you can do that?”

Squall nodded and leaned forward for another kiss, but Seifer held him back.

“Nope, no more of that, we're going to stand up, alright? Think you can get up for me?” 

“Yes,” Squall breathed, his gaze becoming hooded and heavy. Seifer rolled his eyes at his own bad phrasing. He clenched his jaw and pushed Squall's hips back, forcing the other man to stand up. Seifer stood quickly before Squall could fall forward onto him again, and instead caught him against his chest. 

“Steady,” Seifer murmured, wrapping an arm around Squall's waist and turning him toward the exit. “Come on, Squall.”

"Seifer, seriously, he's fine. And I thought you hated him, anyway," Garith said in a rush, hurrying up to them.

"You fucking do not want to get in my face right now, Rivers," Seifer snarled angrily, causing the other cadet to hastily back up a step, bumping into some furniture. "I'll deal with you tomorrow, and you better pray to Hyne he's okay."

"H-he'll be fine!" Garith yelped, holding both his hands up in surrender. Seifer curled his lip in disgust and headed for the exit.

Squall stumbled into Seifer as they walked, gripping his jacket tightly. "S-Seifer…the room…" They made it to one corner of the apartment before Squall tipped away from Seifer suddenly, almost dropping to the side. Seifer caught him quickly, pulling him against his body.

“Hey, you okay?" Seifer asked quietly in his ear, weaving his hand into the back of his hair to draw his head in close. Squall shivered and pressed his face into Seifer’s shoulder, turning to hug him affectionately, closing his eyes and relaxing.

“D-don’t let go of me…please…?” Squall asked softly, anxiety tinging his voice for the first time Seifer could ever remember.

“I won’t…” Seifer murmured. He glanced up and saw a few laughing faces keeping their distance while watching them. Then he spotted Fujin and Raijin exiting the kitchen and he lifted one hand. They caught sight of him and then both gaped in surprise before rushing over.

“LEONHART?” Fujin asked in shock when they reached him. 

"Whoa, he doesn't look so good, ya know?" Raijin murmured in awe. He reached forward to lift one of Squall's eyelids and Squall jerked his head away, hiding his face against Seifer's neck, his arms tightening around him.

"He's been drugged," Seifer growled. "I'm getting him out of here."

"WHO?" Fujin asked, scanning the room critically.

"Garith Rivers," Seifer said, looking around to see that the cadet was no longer in sight. At least he had one functioning brain cell. “He’s probably skipping town as we speak.”

“Want us to go after him?” Raijin asked, putting his hands on his hips and observing the room. The people who were laughing at Squall a moment ago were trying to become invisible, no longer looking in their direction now that they had back up.

“Yeah, kick his ass to warm him up for me,” Seifer scowled. “I’m going to kill him tomorrow unless Squall beats me to it. And find out exactly what he gave him.”

“Mmm,” Squall cuddled into Seifer, sighing in relief, and Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin all looked at him.

“Ya know…” Raijin started.

“Shut up,” Seifer growled in warning.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“CUTE,” Fujin said thoughtfully, keeping her voice low despite her blunt tone. 

“Both of you get out of here!” Seifer snapped, swinging one arm out at Raijin. He ducked and ran off. Fujin turned to follow close behind, though she did shoot Seifer a sly grin before disappearing.

“Whoa…” Squall inhaled sharply, stumbling a little at Seifer’s sudden movement. Seifer clicked his tongue and held him steady. 

“You okay?” 

“Y-yeah…” Squall took a shaky breath and relaxed against him again. “Glad…”

“About what?” Seifer asked skeptically.

“That it’s…you I found…” Squall murmured, resting his cheek on Seifer’s shoulder. Seifer blinked at the top of his head, feeling his face growing warm. He frowned a little, but tentatively settled his arms around Squall’s back. Squall sighed softly.

“Let’s go home, okay…?” Seifer asked quietly, his tone soft and gruff. Squall nodded and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. Seifer swallowed hard and gently pulled back, turning Squall away from him finally. Squall blinked and staggered, tripping over his own two feet, and Seifer sighed heavily.

They somehow managed to make it out of the apartment without further incident, but when they barely made it down the first flight of stairs without falling down and breaking their necks, Seifer paused, glad there was no one in the stairwell.

“Alright, hold onto me,” Seifer muttered, ignoring the heat growing in his face as he guided Squall's arms up around his neck. Squall immediately pulled him down into another kiss, moaning softly. Seifer inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, feeling guilt build as he pressed into the kiss briefly, then broke it roughly to sweep Squall up into his arms. He half expected the other man to put up a fight, but Squall kissed his jaw instead, whispering as Seifer carried him down the remaining two flights of stairs. 

“Seifer,” Squall moaned quietly against his skin. “Mmm, you feel good…You taste so good…”

“Hyne, Squall, shut up,” Seifer groaned. “You have no fucking clue what you’re even saying.”

“Yes I do. Yes I do, I want you-”

"What the fuck-"

Squall suddenly tried to shift out of Seifer's hold and Seifer staggered down the last three steps, dropping Squall to his feet, then making a choked noise when the other man fell back against the wall and jerked Seifer into him, pulling him in for another heavy kiss, yanking his hips in to grind against him.

Seifer shoved back from Squall and covered his own mouth with one hand, glaring at the brunet against the wall, feeling his face heat up bright red. Squall pushed both hands up into his own hair and gripped it tight, closing his eyes in agony.

“Fuck,” he said with a shaky breath, clearly trying to control himself. “My skin feels so hot, I feel sick…”

“Hyne,” Seifer sighed scrubbing his hand over his face. 

“S-Seifer,” Squall whimpered, sliding sideways against the wall. “What's wrong with me?” 

Seifer shot forward and caught him, stepping in close to slide one hand behind Squall's neck, lowering his head to force Squall to look at him.

“You're okay,” Seifer promised and felt his stomach drop when Squall relaxed and weakly half smiled, trusting him so much. Against his better judgment, Seifer stepped in closer and cautiously slid their noses together, letting his eyes fall shut as Squall linked his arms around his neck again. He was going to go to hell for giving in so quickly to things he had pressed down for so long, unable to fight back against the panic in Squall's tone. And Squall was going to send him there tomorrow by gunblade for taking advantage of him while being drugged. 

But for now, Squall sighed quietly and shut his eyes as well, sliding his cheek against Seifer's, humming in pleasure at the feeling of fine stubble just barely beginning to shadow his jaw.

“Feels good when you touch me,” Squall whispered.

“Let's go home, okay?” Seifer asked gently. A loud bang upstairs reminded him someone could stumble upon them at any moment. He needed to get them both out of there. Squall’s heated gaze locked on Seifer’s and then his hands slid down to fumble against Seifer’s belt. Seifer’s eyes widened in shock and he broke away again, stepping back and shoving one hand roughly into his own hair. “Let me call a cab.”

Squall dropped down into a crouch and folded his arms across his knees, burying his face into an elbow as he waited, breathing hard.

Seifer dialed and had a quick conversation, giving his location and name. After finishing his call, he saw a text waiting on the screen from Fujin, telling him that what Squall was drugged with was indeed harmless. He knelt down in front of Squall and lightly trailed his fingers through his hair, causing Squall to shiver harshly and look up at him with a haunted, hungry gaze.

“Just relax,” Seifer murmured.”You can’t keep attacking me, you’re killing me.”

“Am I going to die?” Squall asked in such a flat, mercenary tone that Seifer chuckled and cupped his palm against Squall's face. Squall closed his eyes and nuzzled into the touch.

“No, baby, you're just high as fuck.”

“Mmm,” Squall hummed, taking a deep breath as he settled back on his ass and leaned against the wall, clasping Seifer's wrist to pull him in with him. Seifer knelt closer and traced his fingertip along the lines of Squall's face, over his brows, down his nose, tracing his bottom lip and jaw. The sensation seemed to satiate Squall's need for contact and calm him down, but the way his chest heaved with every breath betrayed how much effort it was taking to control himself. Seifer glanced back up the stairs, then at the parking lot before moving to sit next to Squall. 

“Come here,” Seifer ordered. Squall opened his eyes and looked over at Seifer beckoning to him to his lap. When Squall crawled over on his hands and knees with some effort, Seifer coaxed him to sit in front of him between his legs, pulling Squall back against his chest and wrapping his arms around him. Squall made a weak noise of relief and pressed back into him, pulling Seifer’s arms tighter. Seifer huffed a laugh and rested his chin on Squall’s shoulder. “You’re going to absolutely murder me tomorrow.”

“Mm-mm,” Squall disagreed, relaxing deeply. Seifer’s chest rumbled with another chuckle and Squall laughed quietly. “You sound so good.”

“Just remember that you made this incredibly hard for me, okay? I was doing my good deed for the month getting you out of there and you didn’t make it easy.”

“I’ll make things hard for you,” Squall laughed rolling his head back to brush his nose into Seifer’s hair. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh,” Seifer murmured affectionately. Squall pressed a kiss against his jaw. “Hyne, you’re affectionate when you’re high…I can’t imagine what would happen if you found chickenwuss instead of me at that party.”

Squall snorted dismissively. “I'd die.”

“Okay, Mr. Dramatic.” Seifer rolled his eyes. “If anyone would have died, it would have been Zell when you kissed him.”

“Wouldn’t have kissed him…” Squall disagreed, twisting a little to slip his arms around Seifer’s neck. Seifer turned his face to meet Squall’s dark gaze, his own lids lowering at the sight of those captivating eyes focused on him. “Only you.”

“Is that right?” Seifer murmured. 

"Yeah," Squall breathed before capturing Seifer's mouth again. A low hum of pleasure escaped Seifer this time and Squall deepened the kiss, flicking his tongue against Seifer's bottom lip. Seifer moaned weakly, letting Squall into his mouth, and Squall shifted quickly and clumsily to straddle his lap, breaking the kiss only for a moment before catching Seifer's mouth again. Seifer pressed into the kiss before roughly pulling back.

“Baby…We gotta stop…”

“Mmm, call me that again,” Squall asked with a low voice.

“Baby, baby, baby,” Seifer whispered, giving in to temptation for a moment and sliding his hands down to squeeze Squall's ass. “Fuck you feel even better than I imagined, Squall…”

Squall laughed and lowered his head to capture Seifer's mouth. Seifer slid one hand up Squall's back and into his hair, pulling him into the kiss before breaking away and tipping his head back, trying to control himself. Squall rocked in his lap and sucked a kiss on his neck, biting his pulse point. Another loud noise from up the stairwell caused Seifer to peek open his eyes.

“Goddamnit, where is that taxi…?”

As if on cue, Seifer's cell phone rang and he flipped it open to answer, sighing in relief when the driver announced he was pulling up in a moment. 

“Alright, baby, I'm gonna take you home, okay?”

“Mmm yes,” Squall exhaled, sweeping his tongue up Seifer's throat.

“Come on, let's go. On your feet, SeeD,” Seifer instructed, lifting Squall's hips and fumbling to get them both standing. He glanced into the parking lot and then snagged Squall's jacket collar, pulling him in to whisper. “Keep your hands to yourself and be good for that entire car ride and I'll give you a present, okay?" Seifer braced his palm against Squall's chest to stop him from attacking him with another kiss. “That's not being good. If you can't be good, I'll leave you here."

“I'll be good,” Squall gasped, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against Seifer's. Beads of sweat gathered at his temples and on his forehead, and Seifer had to hold himself back from kissing him.

“Promise?”

“I promise-promise.”

Seifer huffed a laugh and guided Squall into the car, giving the curious driver a warning glare as they both settled in and Squall cuddled into Seifer's side, pressing his face into his shoulder. The short drive felt unbearably long, especially when Squall started shivering and breathing harder as if he were breaking out in a fever. When Seifer pressed his palm to his forehead, though, Squall felt freezing despite how hard he was sweating.

Seifer had the driver drop them off near the parking garage entrance and quietly guided Squall to the dorm hall, half carrying him, half fighting off Squall's dizzy attempts to kiss him. When they arrived at Squall's new private SeeD quarters, Seifer checked Squall's pockets for some sort of key card but couldn't find one.

“Baby, what's the backup code to get in?” Seifer asked, trying to keep them both quiet so no security guards would come around investigating.

“Four…”

“Okay, next?

“Three…”

“Next?”

“Two…”

“Squall…”

“One…”

Seifer gave Squall a dry look but typed the code in just in case, not the least bit surprised when it was rejected. Squall snorted a giggle and scrunched his eyes closed.

“Got you!”

“Oh my god,” Seifer laughed softly. “You are such a fucking dork when you're high.”

“Rude,” Squall said chuckled, rolling his forehead back and forth on Seifer's shoulder. “You are so fucking rude all the time.”

“That's rich coming from you, hypocrite,” Seifer said good-naturedly, wrapping an arm around Squall's waist to lead him to Seifer's own room. He really hoped his roommate Deirdre wasn't awake.

“Yeah, it is,” Squall snickered. 

“I heard you blew off instructor Trepe in the secret spot tonight,” Seifer tried suddenly, wondering if he could actually use this time to get anything interesting out of Squall. 

Squall sighed dramatically and turned into dead weight on Seifer's shoulder. Seifer didn't even bother telling him to straighten up, he just swept Squall up in his arms.

“I also saw you dancing at the ball with Rinoa,” Seifer said, ignoring the sour taste those words left in his mouth.

“Who?” Squall asked, nuzzling a kiss against Seifer's jaw. He grinned when a chuckle rumbled through Seifer's chest.

“Man, I cannot believe how far gone your are."

"…Seifer?"

"That's me."

"...I like you…"

Seifer paused in front of his dorm door and glanced down at the man in his arms.

“Pretty sure that's just the pleasure pill talking, sweetheart,” Seifer said wryly after a moment. He set Squall unsteadily on his feet. Squall hugged him around his torso as he fished his key card out of his pocket and unlocked the door. 

“No, it's not,” Squall said and looked up at Seifer. He bit his bottom lip, lust burning in his eyes again, his pupils blown. “I've been good, right?”

“Very good…” Seifer murmured. He glanced into his dorm and saw Deirdre's bedroom door was closed, then looked back down so Squall. “Be really quiet, okay?”

Seifer led them to his room and pushed Squall to sit on his bed, turning on a lamp and closing his door with a sigh of relief that they had made it there unscathed and unharassed. He hesitated before glancing back at Squall, finding him staring back at him quietly.

"Do I get my present?"

"Sweetheart, I'm gonna be honest. I didn't have anything in mind," Seifer confessed, turned to face him fully with shrug. He grinned at Squall's pout. "What would you like?"

"You." Squall answered without hesitation. 

"Oh yeah?" Seifer asked, his voice lowering. Squall shivered and reached out for him, pulling him closer by his belt. He undid the clasp and lifted the bottom of his shirt so he could kiss Seifer's stomach. Seifer inhaled deeply and slowly, trying to keep control of his impulses for once in his damned life. He let Squall remove his belt, then pushed his hand into his brown locks, forcing him to tip backwards. Squall looked up at him in pleasure, falling back onto Seifer's bed, snagging his fingers in his coat to pull him down on top of him. Seifer braced his hands on either side of Squall, looking down at him quietly.

"You're a cruel man, Leonhart," Seifer murmured, letting Squall pull him down for a slow, deep kiss. Seifer smoothed one hand down Squall's side, then slipped up under his shirt to slide his palm over his warm skin. Squall followed his lead, sliding both his hands under Seifer's shirt and dragging one thigh up his hip. Seifer pressed harder into the kiss briefly before breaking away and dropping his head on Squall's shoulder, breathing harshly.

"Seifer…" Squall hummed, weaving his fingers into Seifer's hair and nuzzling his temple. "I love you…"

Seifer jerked back harshly and stared down at Squall in alarm, brows furrowed and eyes wide. Squall tried to pull him down for another kiss but Seifer resisted, swallowing hard and frowning.

"A-alright, that's enough now," Seifer said softly, clearing his throat. "You're not in control of yourself at all and I can't take advantage of you like this…"

"I'm in control," Squall breathed, trying to coax Seifer back down. 

"No, Squall, you're not…" Seifer gently pulled Squall's arms off his neck and Squall looked up at him, heartbroken. "Sorry, baby… I can't… Not tonight."

"Tomorrow?"

"If you're really good and just go to sleep, yeah, tomorrow you can have anything you want from me."

"I want you…" Squall whispered, reaching up for him again. 

"You can have me. Tomorrow. If you still want me…"

"I always want you," Squall said softly. Seifer pulled away and shifted the brunet higher on the bed, then pulled Squall’s black jacket and boots off. He tried to straighten up so he could go sleep on the couch in the living room but Squall grabbed his coat again, surprisingly strong for how drugged he was. "At least stay with me."

"Like, sleep next to you?" Seifer asked, hesitant, wanting it and knowing how fucking stupid it would be.

"Yeah," Squall smiled at him and Seifer was damned. He shrugged out of his coat and kicked his own boots off before climbing into the bed next to Squall. Squall immediately rolled into him, entwining his arm and leg around him and resting his head on his shoulder. Seifer swallowed and wrapped one arm behind Squall's back, pulling him in closer. He sighed heavily when Squall made a noise of pleasure.

"You are definitely going to murder me when you sober up…"

Squall's sleepy chuckle was not reassuring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I have no idea how drugs work. I just made this one up to work the way I wanted for the story.

Squall woke up with a splitting headache, groaning in pain and burying his face into the warmth beneath him, trying to block out the light shining in the room. His bed moved and strangely took a deep breath, then it froze before sighing heavily.

"Shit, here we go…" Seifer muttered quietly and Squall jerked upright from him so fast, his eyes flying open in shock, that his head imploded and he dropped back down onto Seifer's arm with a sickened curse.

"W-what…?" Squall whispered in panic.

"Calm down, you're okay," Seifer said very softly and Squall felt some of the rising anxiety flooding him ebb. Seifer may be a bastard but if he said he was okay, he was okay. He slowly relaxed against him, not having the strength to think about their situation right now. "If you want some water, I'll have to get up…"

"J-just… Just a second…" Squall said shakily, trying to swallow down nausea. "W-what happened?"

"Garith Rivers spiked your drink at the Balamb Fuck Ups party last night. You found me, I brought you home." Seifer's quiet voice was matter of fact and concise, delivering facts that Squall could process quickly.

"Do I need to go to the doctor?" Squall asked, still shaky, trying to decide what he needed to know first.

"No, Fujin texted me what you got and I've seen it before," Seifer said. At that, Squall peeked an eye open to look at him and Seifer smirked at him. "You weren't having any unexpected reactions, so I figured you wouldn’t want to go to the infirmary. Do you want to go now?"

"No," Squall sighed and closed his eyes again.

"Let me get you some water and ibuprofen. The drug has cleared your system by now, no interactions at risk. You're just worse than hungover. Should last an hour."

"Kay…" Squall shifted as much as he could bear and Seifer gently pulled away and got up. He disappeared briefly and the room got mercifully darker as he pulled the curtains closed, then he returned with a glass. He helped Squall roll over and sit up a little, then pressed a pill to his lips and held the glass for him as he swallowed down several gulps of water before collapsing back into the pillows.

"Go back to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up again, I promise," Seifer murmured and Squall felt him stroke his fingers through his hair.  


Squall relaxed again, quietly whispering his thanks, and let Seifer coax him back to sleep with his gentle touches.

\--

When Squall woke again, his first thought was that ibuprofen and water were miracles and that whoever invented both was a goddamn gift to humankind. Then he snorted softly at the idea anyone had invented water and opened his eyes, relieved to find that the pain was gone and the room wasn’t spinning anymore. He felt decent and exhaled slowly, scanning the area for Seifer. He recognized the blond’s room--the gunblade case, the ruby dragon poster, the picture of Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin, all confirming that this morning wasn't a dream. He tried to remember the night before but couldn't grasp any memories except getting roped into a dance by some girl and then summoned by Quistis. He rubbed his forehead, careful of the still healing scar across his face, then sat up gingerly, breathing easier when nothing hurt or made him want to throw up.

He got up and caught sight of his coat peeking out from beneath Seifer's trench, both thrown over his desk chair. He pulled it free and put it on, then tugged his boots on and laced them up, feeling better fully dressed. He stood by the door, listening carefully. Quiet clanking was coming from the direction of the common room and after a moment's hesitation, Squall slipped out of Seifer's room.

At the small table off to one side of the room, Seifer and a girl Squall had never seen before were talking quietly over a portable burner, a device definitely against school code, on which Seifer was cooking pancakes in a large skillet. Seifer was standing and flipping the food occasionally while the girl sat at the table watching him, sipping a cup of coffee.

"I bet Garith is running for the hills right now," the girl said quietly, smirking.

"He can run, but he can't hide," Seifer muttered threateningly and the girl chuckled.

"Are you sure you don't want a girlfriend? I'd kill for a guy like you," the girl asked, but her wistful tone was teasing, like they had had this conversation before.

"Sorry, darlin. Tried it, didn't like it." Seifer smirked and met her eyes. "But you know I'd still kick anyone's ass if you asked me...to..."

Seifer trailed off when he caught sight of Squall and cleared his throat, speaking much more roughly. "Well, about time you got your ass up."

The girl turned in her seat to look Squall over and then grinned at him before standing up. She put her mug in the sink and Seifer eyed her.

"Don't want breakfast?"  


"Nah, I'm on a diet," she said cheerfully, then went up on tippy toe to kiss him on the cheek, watching Squall carefully out of the corner of her eye while Seifer leaned down a little for her to have a better reach.  


"He definitely does," the girl said to Seifer, and Squall frowned, trying to figure out what she was talking about that made Seifer blush suddenly. Without saying another word, she whirled around and left the suite, leaving the two of them alone.

Seifer looked up at Squall briefly, then flipped a pancake onto the already tall stack on a plate on the table before turning off the burner.

"Come eat."

Squall watched Seifer carefully, hesitating before finally approaching. He had to admit, the pancakes smelled glorious and he was starving. As if his stomach wasn't going to let him say no, it growled loudly, causing Seifer to grin cockily.

"I make the best pancakes," Seifer said a little tauntingly, and Squall finally sat down in front of a plate and took two. Up close he could see fresh blueberries mixed in. Seifer reached over and poured a little syrup on Squall's plate and then his own before joining him at the table.

Squall carefully took a bite and then frowned, impressed. "Wow…"

Seifer chuckled ruefully and dug in. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Squall said, shaking his head a little. "Much better." He focused on his food, refusing to look up. "Thanks…for taking care of me last night…"

Seifer cleared his throat, also keeping his eyes down. "Do you remember anything?"

"No, nothing…" Squall hesitated. "Did I…do anything weird?"

Seifer worked his jaw, sighing a little, his voice gruff. "Sat on my lap in the apartment. Kissed me," Squall’s gaze shot up to him and he froze, but Seifer continued carelessly "but you were so fucked up, a lot of people get that way on a pleasure pill."

"..."

"Relax, it's not a big deal."

"..."

"...Eat."

"...That's all I did?"

Seifer sighed, glaring at his food like it no longer tasted good as he ate a little too quickly. "Yup."

Squall watched him for a long moment, then poked at his pancakes, lost in thought. "...You said you've seen it before?"

"Yeah, the disciplinary committee has confiscated some. Most guys I catch with it just sit there giggling until I dump them in Kadowaki's lap. If they take a big enough dose, they get stupid, but it's harmless stuff," Seifer said dismissively.

Squall frowned at his plate, trying to work his memories to the surface, trying to piece together how he woke up and how he got that way.

"...You slept with me?"

Seifer got up and walked his plate to the sink, scraping the uneaten portion of his food into the garbage. "Next to you. You were clingy." Seifer said, annoyance into his tone.

"..."

"Anyway, it was a pain in the ass to haul you around last night and then you wouldn't tell me your dorm code, so I brought you here to crash. You owe me."

"Yeah…"  


Seifer glanced up at that easy agreement and saw Squall frowning at his food. He sighed and began washing his dishes. After a few silent minutes, Squall joined him and Seifer was surprised to see his plate was empty.

"You finished it."  


"Wasn't going to waste it… It was really good. Thanks…"

Squall grabbed a sponge to wash his own dish and Seifer watched him for a moment before he moved to retrieve the extra pancakes and put them in a ziplock bag, then stowed away the cooled burner. He finally slowly spoke up again as Squall dried the plates to keep his hands busy, his words cautious.

"Dierdre… Isn't my girlfriend or anything. We're just roommates."

Squall glanced at him from the corner of his eye as he returned to the sink.  


"I think she was asking you out…" Squall responded, then frowned at himself for commenting. He felt anxious, a nervous energy building in his chest.

"Nah, she knows I'm not interested. Not in her."

"Fujin?" Squall asked, then shook his head at his own boldness. Why couldn't he shut up? He blushed when Seifer scowled at him.

"Hell no, she's like my sister."

"…"

Seifer took the clean plate from Squall, setting it aside and leaning against the counter to face him, folding his arms over his chest as he scrutinized Squall’s face. Squall dried his own hands, focusing on the towel instead of Seifer, though he didn't move away. His heartbeat spiked and he swallowed hard.

"You really don't remember anything?" Seifer asked in mild annoyance.

"Why don't you just tell me?" Squall asked, glaring at the towel. Whatever Seifer was hiding, it was bad.

"Cause you're gonna be pissed."

Squall scowled to hide his growing fear. He tossed the towel onto the counter. "I'm pretty pissed not knowing, too."

"Fine, do you want me to tell you or show you?" Seifer asked, his tone challenging. Squall finally looked up at him in confusion.

"Show me-?"

Seifer cut him off with a sudden kiss. Squall jerked back in surprise, his eyes wide and his lips parted in complete shock. But he didn't move away and Seifer pressed another kiss to his mouth and this time Squall took longer to break away, stepping back as Seifer stepped into his space. They both glanced down to see Squall's hands curled into Seifer's shirt, pulling him closer, and Squall felt as surprised as Seifer looked.  


He dropped his hands quickly and backed up again, but when he bumped against the table, Seifer caught his lips one more time, cupping his face and pulling him in. Squall gasped into his mouth and Seifer took the opportunity to sweep his tongue between his lips and Squall melted, flooding with heat. A fragment of memories teased his mind and his body took over, like muscle memory in a battle. His arms slid up Seifer's neck and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss when Seifer moaned deeply. He stroked his tongue against Seifer's, then pulled him in harder as his taste consumed him, weaving his fingers up into his short blond hair.

Seifer lifted Squall to sit on the table suddenly and dragged his leg up his hip, then they were moving together like this was what they had been training for all their lives. Squall gasped, hooking his leg around Seifer's waist, arching into him and Seifer tipped him back onto the table. He moaned loudly as he moved against Seifer, his body flushing hot, his thoughts dizzy and blurred, drowned out by adrenaline and impulse. Seifer groaned and shuddered, diving his tongue into him, whimpering in relief when Squall kissed him back feverishly.

"Ah, haa,  _ Squall _ ," Seifer moaned against his mouth when they parted, breathless and lightheaded. "Baby, ask me. Ask me."

"I- I need air," Squall gasped, dropping his head back on the table. Seifer pulled back a little, breathing hard, but Squall kept his arms around his neck, stopping him from going anywhere.

Seifer braced his hands on the table, looking down at Squall like he had the night before, blushing now that Squall's blue gaze was clear of drugs and fixated on him as he panted beneath him, hair falling away from his flushed face.

Squall swallowed tightly, looking a little helpless.

"W-what happened last night?"

"I…kissed you back…" Seifer said weakly, trying to find a way to explain.  


Squall furrowed his brows at that answer and pulled Seifer back down into a deep kiss, closing his eyes immediately, humming with desire.

They both broke apart again and looked up at the ceiling when the intercom chimed across the whole school, a rude shock of reality.

_ "SeeDs Zell Dincht, Squall Leonhart, and Selphie Tilmitt, report to the headmaster's office immediately for assignment." _

Seifer looked back down at him, looking as anguished as Squall felt. Slowly he lifted off of him, helping him sit up and reluctantly backing away so he could slide off the table.

"They don't waste time, huh?” Seifer asked, looking pained and failing to sound casual.  


Instead of replying, Squall continued to just stare at him, still a little breathless, more confused than he ever had in his life. He didn’t want to go. His mind was racing, a thousand miles a minute, and he didn’t want to go. He wanted- He swallowed tightly.

“What’s going to happen with you?” He finally asked and Seifer grimaced, both of them realizing what it meant that Squall was SeeD and he wasn’t. He never could be now.  


“They’ll...probably throw me out.” Seifer shook his head as if to clear it, shoving his hand into his hair as he looked away.

“When?” Squall asked, the question tinged with harsh panic. Seifer looked at him carefully, his expression tense.

“Before you’re back. They don’t keep failed cadets around long, you know that.”

“You’re just going to leave?”

“It’s not exactly my damn choice,” Seifer said harshly, frustration heavy in his tone. He stepped back to lean against the counter, bracing one hand on the edge. His other hand clasped the back of his neck and for the first time Squall could remember, he looked unsure, all of his confidence stripped away.  


Squall clenched his jaw, his brow furrowed as he studied every taut line in Seifer’s body language. He felt lost. He barely understood what was happening between them, had no memory or understanding of what  _ had _ happened between them the night before except that whatever it was--more than a kiss, he was certain--it had changed everything between them. And Squall had felt it the moment he had first woken up and collapsed into Seifer like he was his sanctuary. Staring at Seifer now, another flutter of memories stirred in him, the first strange minutes after drinking some water at the party, of feeling dizzy and scared, trying to laugh like other guests were, as if that would help him, then looking up and seeing Seifer, a rush of security flooding him. Seifer wouldn’t let anyone else mess with him, only he could do that. Squall only let Seifer do that.  


And something about the idea of Seifer leaving, disappearing suddenly, pulling away from him to live an entirely separate life, made Squall feel like something terrible was going to happen.  


“Stop looking at me like that,” Seifer said bitterly, folding his arms across his chest.

“Like what?” Squall asked, sounding as lost as he felt.

“Like I’m going to die,” Seifer said and grimaced. They both glanced up again when the intercom chimed.

_ “SeeD Squall Leonhart, report to the headmaster’s office immediately.” _

“Hyne,” Seifer cursed in annoyance. “Don’t even give you a minute to wake up and piss.” He met Squall’s eyes again, glaring at him defensively. “You better go before they come down here and drag you by your ear.”

“They wouldn’t know to find me here…” Squall said, tense but not moving a fraction. Seifer’s eyes widened at what that implied.

“You can’t skip the briefing for your first assignment.”  


Squall clenched his fists at his sides, but didn’t move.

“Squall, they’ll strip you of your title,” Seifer said angrily, lowering his arms and stepping toward him.  


“You can’t leave,” Squall said demandingly, ignoring as Seifer grabbed his bicep, glaring up at him. “You can’t disappear. You can’t… _ change _ things like this and then-”

Squall cut himself off angrily. Seifer tilted his head a little, studying his expression. “You think you can be rid of me that easily?”  


Squall paused, studying him in return, untrusting. Seifer leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “You think I’m not going to follow you?”

“Follow-?” Squall’s eyebrows shot up.

“I follow you or you follow me, Leonhart. Haven’t you noticed?” Seifer murmured, touching his fingers under Squall’s chin. “This isn’t over.” Then he dropped his hand away, straightening up. “But right now you’ve got to go.”

“But-“ Squall resisted. Seifer shoved him toward the door, still gripping his arm. Squall stumbled a little on the way. Before he could say anything more, Seifer paused by the door and pulled him into a rough kiss that Squall immediately pressed into, his reaction so automatic that it scared him. He looked at Seifer helplessly when the blond cut the kiss off just as suddenly.

“Don’t be such a girl.”

Squall scowled nastily at the snide comment. Seifer grinned as he smacked the button for his door and shoved Squall through it. He braced both hands on the frame and leaned forward, bouncing his eyebrows at Squall challengingly.  


“Or are you scared? Maybe you shouldn’t be SeeD after all.”

Squall glared at him furiously and finally looked away down the hall. He glanced at him briefly one more time to repeat Seifer’s words back at him. “This isn’t over.”

“Promise-promise,” Seifer said, smirking. He laughed when Squall gave him a critical look at the corny words before stalking away quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's one tiny paragraph (that I noticed) that switches to Seifer's pov and I'm leaving it cause I like seeing through his eyes in that moment.
> 
> Thank you for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting. I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed this little canon-divergent side-step story. ❤


End file.
